- Appeared in:
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
CW
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From the Movies
After the
Millennium Falcon escaped from the Death Star, the Empire was able to track it to the Rebel Base via a small homing beacon attached the ship. Such devices transmit a tracking signal that is able to broadcast over incredible distances, so that even an escape into hyperspace won't prevent a craft from being found.
From the Expanded Universe
Imperial homing beacons exploit the government's control of the HoloNet, the vast hyperspace-based communication network connecting the entire galaxy. Ships in hyperspace travel through "simu-tunnels," a limited dimensional domain that appears as a whirling tunnel of Doppler-distorted light out a viewport. These tunnels, or S-threads, are also where HoloNet non-mass transceivers are deposited. When a homing beacon intersects an S-thread with a HoloNet transceiver, the incident is dutifully logged. By gathering these incident reports, skilled trackers can determine the heading of a vessel as it traverses hyperspace.
